Once a host accepts a booking, whether manually or through Instant booking, the guest expects the car to be available at the agreed time and location. Last-minute cancellations can significantly disrupt a guest’s plans. To maintain trust on the platform, host cancellations are discouraged and may result in penalties.
General rules for Host cancellations
Once a booking is accepted, the host is expected to honor the booking.
If a host cancels after accepting, or is unavailable or unreachable at handover time, the cancellation is treated as a host-initiated cancellation.
Host-initiated cancellations may result in penalty fees, regardless of the reason for cancellation, unless explicitly stated otherwise in this policy.
Guidelines on waiving host cancellation penalties
A host may cancel one booking per calendar month without penalty, provided the cancellation is made within one hour of accepting the booking. The one-hour grace period starts from the time the booking is accepted on the platform.
Once this grace cancellation is used in a given month, all subsequent cancellations in that month will incur penalties. Repeated use of grace cancellations may be reviewed and may affect host standing.
Cancellation fees
The fees below apply to host-initiated cancellations only. Cancellation timing is calculated based on the scheduled trip start time shown in the booking.
More than 30 days before trip start: Penalty waived
More than 3 days before trip start: $20
Less than 3 days before trip start: $40
Less than 24 hours before trip start: $60
If a host cancels a confirmed booking, a cancellation fee applies based on the timing above. 80% of the penalty fee is credited to the guest to offset the inconvenience.
No-show
A host is considered a no-show if they are not reachable by the guest or Drive lah support within one hour before the scheduled trip start. A no-show is treated as a host-initiated cancellation and is subject to the penalties outlined in this policy.
A $100 penalty applies.
80% of this amount is credited to the guest, unless the trip was scheduled to start within 24 hours of acceptance.
Being partially responsive or replying after the trip start time does not prevent a no-show classification.
Instant booking cancellations: Overnight exemption for a next-day trip
If a guest books between 10:00 PM and 9:00 AM, the host may cancel by 9:00 AM without penalty.
This overnight exemption is separate from the one-hour grace cancellation and does not create an additional penalty-free cancellation.
The exemption applies once per calendar month only.
The guest receives a full refund, including processing fees.
After this exemption is used, standard host cancellation penalties apply.
All time references are based on the local time shown in the booking.
Repeated overnight cancellations may be reviewed as part of host performance.
Cancellations by Drive lah:
In rare situations, Drive lah may cancel a booking to address fraud risks or trust and safety concerns.
Both host and guest will be notified.
Hosts generally do not receive earnings for trips cancelled by Drive lah.
In limited cases, host penalties may be waived for verified emergencies at Drive lah’s sole discretion.
Personal scheduling conflicts or availability issues do not qualify as verified emergencies.
Important reminders:
Cancel bookings only when absolutely necessary.
Penalties apply to late cancellations and no-shows.
Repeated cancellations may impact host standing on the platform.
Best practices for hosts:
Review availability carefully before accepting a booking or enabling Instant booking.
Contact the guest and Drive lah support as soon as you foresee an issue.
Keep contact details accurate and reachable, especially close to trip start.
Avoid cancellations within 30 days of a trip whenever possible.
Ensure that the car is in good condition before the trip starts.